Contemplations
by LucJig
Summary: It's Thanksgiving, and as the day comes to a close, Matt has some things to think over before he can truly enjoy the season. Luckily TK's there to help.


_So, telling from a little five-minute research of mine, today is Thanksgiving Day in Japan, so I'd thought I'd post a little oneshot instead of updating Dark Waters._

_Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Contemplations<strong>

The two stood in the middle of Rainbow Bridge in Odaiba, watching the evening traffic and the setting sun from the sidewalk, enjoying the last minutes of daylight before heading to the Thanksgiving dinner the Digidestined had planned with their parents. It was obvious they were brothers, not by personality, but by looks. Both had golden blond hair and striking blue eyes. They were healthy looking: tall and strong but still lean. Definitely brothers, though their individual dispositions didn't give much of a hint to that.

The older one, the taller one, was the quieter. His expression was always thoughtful, and didn't give much hint as to why his demeanour was so reserved. He had a good amount of well-kept blond hair that fell freely about his face. Years prior, it was rarely seen without being spiked up with handfuls of hair gel. Those times had long passed.

His brother wasn't quite the opposite of the older one, but there was a significant difference. His big eyes were almost never seen without a sparkle in them, and he kept a warm smile wherever he went. He was open and cheerful, though did have a streak of pensiveness that came out often. It was a family thing.

They stayed there in silence, perfectly content in the other's presence, contemplating the colourful waters of Tokyo Bay and the red, mountainous horizon from behind the grate walls of the bridge. It had been a fun day. A day of music performed by the older's rock band, a day of sports won by the younger's basketball team, all wrapped up with an afternoon of video games and just hanging out as brothers, something they didn't often get to do alone. They had decided to finish with a walk, and were now waiting for the sun's last rays to end as they waited for their father to pick them up and take them to the party.

The older gazed at the waters thoughtfully, a small frown on his face. His little brother still had that smile on as he took in his surroundings, appreciating the calm moment that they were in, away from the wild group they had as friends. Away from the overwhelming course of their lives. But when he noticed his brother's expression, his face immediately fell. It was as if he saw something in that look that was there before, but he was never able to place until now. The younger one lowered his head to formulate his thought into a short sentence.

He looked up. "It wasn't the hair gel, was it?"

The older had heard his voice, but didn't hear the words as he was so absorbed in his own thoughts. He turned his head to the side with a light, "Hm?"

"I remember it all. I remember it like it was last week. Something was bothering you to the point fighting Tai, and even after Kari interrupted, it was still there. And when you came around right after Sora fell into that pit, I remember how different you looked."

The older let himself frown further, the words of the other worrying him. "Why're you bringing that up, TK?"

His little brother hung his head. "It's back, Matt. I can tell. It was the look in your eyes that changed then, not the hair. I understand now, and I see it in you again. What's the problem? I want to help. No one wants you succumbing to the darkness again, Matt."

Matt's eyes had grown wider with each of TK's sentences, but he quickly hid it under a mask of further indifference before the younger one looked up.

TK spoke again. "Something's bothering you, and I don't want you to deal with it alone."

Matt avoided his little brother's stare, though he could feel it digging into him as he kept his eyes on the water. He knew the silence was only confirming TK's suspicions, but couldn't bring himself to speak. It had been a long time since he had spent time alone with the younger boy, which brought him to wonder just how detached he was becoming from the others. He was the Bearer of Friendship, after all, and that made isolation his worst enemy. How ironic that he was seen as the lone wolf.

He remembered the time, soon after they returned from their first adventure, that he decided to let the gel go. The spikey hair was always his way of showing himself as "that cool guy." It was his way of getting attention without making friends. People liked the hair. That was how he wanted it. Looking cool was the way to go if friendships weren't all that important.

And then Matt's world was changed. He was chosen for the Crest of Friendship, and that was something that took him a long time to fully grasp. He learned to accept people as friends, and how to trust them. It was a first. Matt remembered looking at himself on a certain day after the defeat of Apocalymon, holding the bottle of gel, staring at the mirror. He knew he didn't need to bother with the spikey hair anymore. He had true friends now, and there was really no more need to try and impress everyone. He still kept himself presentable, and his handsomeness was proved by the hundreds of fangirls he was chased by. There was just no more need for the big hair show. With or without it, he still had his place among his best friends, though Tai did had the nerve to make a small remark about it.

"Matt…is that you?" The goggle-head had said smartly. "Really you? I can't tell without the bird-nest."

Courageous indeed. A good smack in the face was enough to bring Tai to his senses.

"Whoa, it's you alright." Tai had responded good-naturedly to Matt's blow, and it was left at that. What was a punch or two between best friends?

In a way it was the gel, though not in the manner TK had meant when he was an eight-year-old in Matt's arms. It went deeper than that, and now that TK had discerned it, he was as sharp as ever on the subject. Matt knew his little brother was right. After all, it was only a moment ago that he was listening to certain doubts that had begun popping up in his head.

His band had been taking up a lot of his time, and the others didn't seem to notice. Life went on. The Digital World had troubles that would rise up, and the kids would go on and settle it before he even found an open spot on his calendar. It didn't make much of a difference. They still won with no sweat. He hadn't checked his D-Terminal in weeks, and he had a feeling he wasn't missing much. When he wasn't at school, he was at band practice, and when that was over he was at home. Alone most of the time. Or talking on the phone with TK. His father rarely came home before he went to bed for the night. It was a quiet, rather solitary life, and he was getting accustomed to it.

Matt shot a sideways glance at his brother. TK had turned to gaze out at the waters when his brother didn't answer. The younger boy's face was downcast, his eyes clouded with sadness.

Matt ventured to speak. "Hey, I'm doing fine, okay? I'm not wandering around lost in a pitch black cave, and I'm not planning to any time soon."

TK didn't meet his look. "It's been happening so slowly, Matt. I didn't recognize it until now. It was Mimi who noticed."

"Mimi? How?"

"The other guys live in the same city as us, Matt. The way you change, I don't think they even notice day to day differences. But Mimi's been in America for what, months? A year? She talked to me a while after she arrived and asked if you were doing okay." TK looked back up at Matt. "She knew right away something was up. It's obvious now."

Now it was the older brother's turn to look away. TK wasn't imagining things. But it was obvious? Really? A feeling of discomfort came over him at the realization. Discomfort and…longing. He wanted to see the others. Besides sitting next to each other during school and lunch hours, Matt had barely socialized with the others. He missed them suddenly. He wondered if they missed him. A pessimistic thought told him no, but the optimistic boy standing beside him thought differently.

"Listen Matt, you're going to enjoy yourself at the party. We're hanging out with our best friends, so there's no excuse for you to sit in a corner. Everyone's going to be happy to see you."

Matt had no response except to smile at his little brother. When he was young, he used to write out lists of things he was grateful for during this time of year. No one told him to. He had always done it of his own accord. After their parents divorced, he had to force himself to think about what five things he was thankful for. His brother, the Child of Hope, was always at the top. Within the past couple years, that list was finally growing longer.

TK glanced off towards the street. "Here comes Dad," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice which soon rose with joy. "And Mom's with him."

Matt scanned over the oncoming traffic, looking for the familiar car. When he saw it, he couldn't help but grin at the sight of the two people in the front. He clapped a hand on TK's back. "You're right, TK."

He meant more than the obvious by the statement. TK was right about everything. He had been shutting himself off to much, and it had to stop. He was going to have a party with his friends and enjoy the catching up. He had people he could be with, and he had never grasped how priceless that was to him. He gave his brother's shoulder a gentle squeeze as their parents pulled up to the curb.

"The party's getting better already, squirt."

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><p><em>Well...there ya go<em>

_Have an awesome Thanksgiving people!_

__LJ__


End file.
